Cable insulation

1. A wire or cable comprising a conductor coated with an insulation composition, wherein said insulation composition comprises:

i) a polyethylene copolymer having a melting point of 105° C. or less; and

ii) a hindered amine light stabiliser (HALS) comprising at least one 2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-piperidinyl group, wherein said HALS is present in an amount of 0.5 to 1.5 wt %; and

iii) a halogen-free flame retardant, which is hydrated aluminum hydroxide,

wherein the insulation composition is free from sulphur-containing antioxidants, and

wherein the insulation composition forms a coating around the conductor, said coating having a thickness of 0.1 to 0.4 mm, and

wherein the insulation composition is free of polyurethane.

2. A wire or cable as claimed in claim 1 wherein the polyethylene copolymer is an ethylene vinyl acetate copolymer or an ethylene (meth)acrylate copolymer, preferably an ethylene vinyl acetate copolymer.

3. A wire or cable as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the hindered amine light stabiliser comprises:

at least two piperidinyl groups of formula (I)

wherein R is H, C 1-15 alkyl, O, —CH 2 —R 2 or —OR 1 ;

R 1 is H or C 1-15 alkyl; and

R 2 is a C 1-10 alkyl group optionally comprising one or more heteroatoms selected from O, N or S or a C═O group;

said at least two piperidinyl groups being covalently bound via the 4-position of the piperidinyl ring to a linking group;

wherein the hindered amine light stabiliser comprises one piperidinyl group of formula (II)

where R is as hereinbefore defined and R 3 is an organic group that may comprise at least one heteroatom;

or wherein the hindered amine light stabiliser comprises repeating units of formula (III)

wherein n is at least 2;

X and Y represent atoms forming the repeating unit.

4. A wire or cable as claimed in claim 1 , in which R is H.

5. A wire or cable as claimed in claim 1 , in which the insulation composition is cross-linked.

6. A wire or cable as claimed claim 1 , wherein the HALS is a polymer.

7. A wire or cable as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the insulation composition has a heat ageing measured according to ISO 6722:2006 at 125° C. of at least 3000 hrs or a heat ageing measured according to ISO 6722:2006 at 150° C. of at least 240 hrs.

8. A wire or cable as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the HALS is

bis 2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-4-piperidinyl-sebacate bis(1-octyloxy-2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-4-piperidyl) sebacate; butanedioic acid, dimethylester, polymer with 4-hydroxy-2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-1-piperidine ethanol;

Bis-(1,2,2,6,6-pentamethyl-4-piperidyl) sebacate;

a mixture of esters of 2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-4-piperidinol and higher fatty acids;

Tetrakis (2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-4-piperidyl)-1,2,3,4-butane tetracarboxylate;

Tetrakis (1,2,2,6,6-pentamethyl-4-piperidyl)-1,2,3,4-butane tetracarboxylate;

Di-(1,2,2,6,6-pentamethyl-4-piperidyl)-2-butyl-2-(3,5-di-tert-butyl-4-hydroxybenzyl)malonate 2,9,11,13,15,22,24,26,27,28-decaazatricyclo[21.3.1.1^ (10,14)]octacosa-1(27), 10,12,14(28),23,25-hexaene-12,25-diamine, N,N′-bis(1,1,3,3-tetramethylbutyl)-2,9,15,22-tetrakis(2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-4-piperidinyl);

Poly [(6-morpholino-s-triazine-2,4-diyl)[2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-4-piperidyl) imino]-hexamethylene [(2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-4-piperidyl) imino]] 1,6-Hexanediamine, N,N′-bis(2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-4-piperidinyl)-, Polymers with morpholine-2,4,6-trichloro- 1,3,5-triazine;

bis(2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-1-undecoxypiperidin-4-yl) carbonate;

N,N′-Bis(2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-4-piperidinyl)-1,6-hexanediamine polymer with 2,4,6-trichloro-1,3,5-triazine reaction products with N-butyl-1-butanamine and N-butyl-2,2,6,6-tetramefhyl-4-piperidinamine;

1,3,5-Triazine-2,4,6-triamine, N,N′ -(1,2-ethane-diylbis(((4,6-bis(butyl(1,2,2,6-pentamethyl-4-piperidinyl)amino)-1,3,5-triazine-2-yl) imino)-3,1-propanediyl))-bis-(N′,N″-dibutyl-N′,N″-bis-(1,2,2,6,6-pentamethyl-4-piperidinyl),; poly[[6-[(1,1,3.3-tetramethylbutyl (amino]-1,3,5-triazine-2,4-diyl][(2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-4-piperidinyl)imino]-1,6-hexanediyl[(2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-4-pipendinyl)imino]]);

1,2,3-tris-(1,2,2,6,6-pentamethyl-4-piperidinyl)-4-tridecyl butane-1,2,3,4-tetracarboxylate;

1,2,3-tris-(2,2,6,6-pentamethyl-4-piperidinyl)-4-tridecyl butane-1,2,3,4-tetracarboxylate;

2,2,4,4-tetramethyl-7-oxa-3,20-diaza-dispiro(5.1.11.2)-heneicosane-21-on;

Bis(1,2,2,6,6-pentamethyl-4-piperidinyl)-2-(4-methoxybenzylidene)malonate;

N,N′-bisformyl-N,N′-bis-(2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-4-piperidinyl)-hexamethylendiamine;

Polymer 2,2,4,4-tetramethyl-7-oxa-3,20-diaza-20-(2,3-epoxi-propyl)-dispiro-(5.1, 11.2)-heneicosane-21-one and Epichlorohydrin;

1,3-Propanediamine, N,N″-1 ,2-ethanediylbis-polymer with 2,4,6-trichloro-1,3,5-triazine, reaction products with N-butyl-2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-4-piperidinamine;

1,2,3,4-butanetetracarboxylic acid, polymer with beta, beta, beta′, beta′-tetramethyl-2,4,8,10-tetraoxaspiro(5.5) undecane-3-9-diethano1,1,2,2,6,6-pentamethyl-4-piperidinyl ester;

2,4,8,10-tetraoxaspiro(5.5) undecane-3,9-diethanol, beta, beta, beta′, beta′-tetramethyl-polymer with 1,2,3,4-butanetetracarboxylic acid, 2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-4-piperidinyl ester;

Polymethylpropyl-3-oxy-4(2,2,6,6-tetramethyl) pipendinyl) siloxane;

N-(2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-4-piperidyl)-maleinimid, C 20 : C 24 -olefin-copolymer; or

4-(3-(3,5-di-t-butyl-4-hydroxyphenyl)propionyloxy-1-(2-(3-(3,5-di-i-butyl-4-hydroxy)propionyloxy) ethyl)-)-2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine; or a mixture thereof.

9. A wire or cable as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the insulation composition comprises from 30 to 65 wt % ethylene- vinyl acetate copolymer based on the weight of the insulation composition; and/or 30 to 69 wt hydrated aluminum hydroxide based on the weight of the insulation composition.

10. A wire or cable as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the insulation composition further comprises a sterically hindered phenolic antioxidant.

11. A wire or cable as claimed in claim 10 , wherein said sterically hindered phenolic antioxidant is present in an amount of 0.01 to 1.5 wt %.

12. A wire or cable as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the insulation composition comprises:

i). an ethylene vinyl acetate copolymer; and

ii). poly[[ 6 -[(1,1,3,3-tetramethylbutyl)amino]-1,3,5-triazine-2,4-diyl][(2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-4-piperidinyl)imino]-1,6-hexanediyl[(2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-4-piperidinyl)imino]]); and

iii). pentaerythritol Tetrakis(3-(3,5-di-tert-butyl-4-hydroxyphenyl)propionate or 2′,3-bis [[3-[3,5-di-tert-butyl-4-hydroxyphenyl]propionyl]] propionohydrazide or a combination thereof.

13. A wire or cable as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the insulation composition forms a coating around the conductor, said coating having a thickness of 0.1 to 0.3 mm.

14. A process for the preparation of a wire or cable as claimed in claim 1 , comprising extruding an insulation composition as defined in claim 1 onto a conductor to form a crosslinkable wire or cable comprising a conductor coated with said insulation composition; and crosslinking the crosslinkable wire or cable.